Can Coffee Prevent Alzheimer’s?

Many of us depend on a strong cup (or three) of joe each day to help us wake up and stay alert. But can it help keep us mentally sharp and prevent Alzheimer’s disease as we age?

A 2009 Finnish study found that midlife coffee drinking was linked to a decreased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. More recently, an experiment conducted at the University of South Florida (USF) found that coffee can boost levels of a critical growth factor that seems to interrupt the Alzheimer’s disease process.

Previous studies of moderate coffee consumption have found that the beverage can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes; protect against alcoholic cirrhosis and Parkinson’s disease; and lower death rates compared to non-coffee drinkers. Recent studies have reported that drinking coffee in moderation may also significantly reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancers.

The USF research, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, presents the first evidence that caffeinated coffee offers protection against Alzheimer’s in mice not found with other caffeine-containing beverages or decaffeinated coffee.

Earlier USF studies of Alzheimer’s mice indicated that caffeine was the likely ingredient. Caffeine is a powerful antioxidant that could protect against Alzheimer’s by decreasing production of an abnormal protein thought to cause the disease.

Caffeinated coffee was found to increase blood levels of a growth factor that’s greatly decreased in patients with Alzheimer’s. The growth factor, known as GCSF, improved the memories in mice with the same brain deterioration found in Alzheimer’s patients. Interestingly, neither caffeine alone nor decaffeinated coffee produced the same results as caffeinated coffee. The researchers concluded that there’s an unidentified ingredient in coffee that interacts with the caffeine to produce the protective effect on the brain.

Researchers are eager to identify this mysterious component of coffee so that it and other beverages could be enriched to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

It should be noted that the researchers used drip coffee – not instant – to boost the levels of GCSF. So it’s not known if Folgers lovers will derive the same benefits as perculated coffee drinkers.

The researchers are currently studying caffeinated coffee’s protective effect on humans and will soon publish their findings. Because Alzheimer’s takes several decades to develop before it can be detected, any protective approach needs to be started many years in advance. The researchers believe that moderate coffee consumption should begin by middle age to have an optimal protective effect.

They suggest that drinking 4-5 cups per day may be necessary, more than the average American’s 1-1/2 to 2 cups per day. Other sources of caffeine, such as tea or energy drinks, aren’t thought to provide the same level of protection as coffee. In addition to coffee consumption, USF researchers recommend regular physical and cognitive activity to help stave off the ravages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

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